[pct-l] physiologic effects of icy cold immersion

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

The difference between fear mongering and providing helpful  
information is illustrated by the difference in posting stuff about  
how you're going to die in icy water vs. what some of the actual  
creeks are really like.

Knowing that Silver Creek has been worked on so that the description  
in the guide book doesn't quite match reality is useful information.

Seeing the difficulty of the creeks in those videos is useful.  
Knowing that they are on the upper end of water flow means that if I  
can prepare myself for something like that I ought to be ok. The  
Middle Fork of the King was not unlike what I saw in the video and  
that was the coldest water I've ever felt. It went up to my thighs  
when I crossed. It was not easy but I made it.

The story about carrying a boulder was interesting. That reminds me  
of when I tried to drive my pickup truck to the White Mountain (2nd  
highest peak in the lower 48) trailhead. I had to load the back with  
rocks and burn the clutch to get up one of the hills. Don't know if  
I'll try that crossing a creek, but it's an interesting story of  
someone's creativity.

Stories about how people died because they were impatient is useful  
to teach patience. However, as a whole, that tends to be the only  
information about the creeks (or snow) that gets posted here. So  
basically all anybody gets is scary stories. What is more useful is  
what the creeks are really like, do they have shallow areas to cross  
within a decent distance? If the creek really is too much for someone  
to cross, is there a viable alternative trail? If I know, I can find  
the map and bring it with me.

Last summer a woman wrote in the register at Tuolumne Meadows that  
there was a creek in Section I she was too scared to cross so she  
backtracked. I listened to that and skipped section I knowing that  
basically being on the upper end of the fraidy cat scale that if  
somebody else had to turn back I probably would, too. I am not  
reckless. But rather than simply scaring people about vague dangers  
and creeks not on the PCT, how about some specific information about  
the creeks on the PCT?